MELVILLE, N.Y./PRNewswire/ -- Henry Schein, Inc., the world's largest provider of health care products and services to office-based dental, animal health and medical practitioners, announced today that it has received a "Leadership in Greener Purchasing Award" from Office Depot. The award, presented at the Office Depot Leadership in Greener Purchasing Summit & Awards Ceremony, gave special recognition to Henry Schein for its leadership in purchasing of LEED-related products.
For the past seven years, Office Depot has publicly recognized a small group of its contract customers who proactively seek out products with environmental attributes and Eco-Labels. This year, Henry Schein was one of 28 award winners out of 17,000 Office Depot customers evaluated and recognized for its efforts.
"Team Schein Members embrace environmental stewardship as a pillar of our corporate social responsibility efforts, and we are honored that Office Depot has acknowledged this ongoing activity," said Gerry Benjamin, Executive Vice President, Chief Administrative Officer of Henry Schein. "Henry Schein is committed to 'Helping Health Happen' and this includes doing our part to protect the health of our planet."
Henry Schein achieved LEED certification at the Company's Melville, N.Y., world headquarters through the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED for Existing Buildings program. The LEED-EB program is a voluntary standard that defines high-performance green buildings that are healthier, more environmentally responsible, and less costly to operate. Under the LEED rating system, buildings are rated according to different aspects of operations and maintenance across six environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation in design.
Henry Schein has implemented several additional measures to minimize the Company's footprint on the environment, such as the installation of more efficient lighting systems in its facilities. The lighting in Henry Schein's U.S. distribution centers consumes half the electricity of traditional lights. In addition, these distribution centers recycle over 8,000 tons of wood, paper, plastics and batteries annually, and have reduced carbon emissions by over 4,800 metric tons.
Henry Schein's environmental stewardship also extends to its valued customers. For example, the Company's Global Reflections program offers customers the opportunity to incorporate a wide variety of green products into their practices and helpful tips for minimizing their environmental impact. A portion of Global Reflections purchases are donated to the Henry Schein Cares Foundation in support of environmental causes.
